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Microwave zaps germs on
sponges, study finds
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - Two minutes in a microwave oven can sterilize most
household sponges, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
A team of engineering researchers at the University of Florida
found that two minutes of microwaving on full power killed or
inactivated more than 99 percent of bacteria, viruses or
parasites, as well as spores, on a kitchen sponge.
"People often put their sponges and scrubbers in the dishwasher,
but if they really want to decontaminate them and not just clean
them, they should use the microwave," said Gabriel Bitton, a
professor of environmental engineering who led the study.
Writing in the Journal of Environmental Health, Bitton and
colleagues said they soaked sponges and scrubbing pads in raw
wastewater containing fecal bacteria such as E. coli, viruses,
protozoan parasites and bacterial spores.
hen they used a common household microwave oven to heat up the
sponges. It took four to 10 minutes to kill all the spores but
everything else was killed after two, they said.
"The microwave is a very powerful
and an inexpensive tool for sterilization," Bitton said.
At least 76 million Americans get
sick from food borne microbes every year, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 5,000 people die
from them.
Kitchens are a common source of
these illnesses.
NOTE:
Sponges in a microwave must be wet!
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